When someone asks what you do for a living, what is your reply? Do you give your main job title? Or do you give a list of a variety of ways you are currently earning income?

Here at iMoneyCoach we often encourage people to seek multiple sources of income. The idea is that you are not having to rely solely on one source of income in case it disappears, and that you are maximizing your income so that you can reach your financial dreams, whatever they may be.

Let’s say that you have a dream of paying cash for your next car, but you and your family have a pretty tight budget already and do not know where you would get the money to put into a car savings fund. If you started a side job and put your paychecks into that car fund, you would be able to save up a lot faster without making drastic changes to your budget. This holds true for eliminating debt as well. Perhaps you could pick up a part-time job or a paper route where you can put the income straight towards your debt and get it paid off faster.

Sometimes we get stuck wondering what is out there that would make a good source of more income. If you already work 40 hours a week, you might not want to pick up a 20-hour a week part-time job. OK, you most probably will not want to do that. But is there something you could spend 5 or 6 hours on each week instead? If you cut out an hour of TV watching a night, is there something else you could do for that time? A good way to figure out which direction to take is to start talking with people to see what needs they have that you might be able to fill.

For example, my husband is a teacher at a high school that is now offering online courses. Since I built and maintain the iMoneyCoach University of online courses, he gave my information to the director of the school’s online courses who had some questions about the same system we use. This started as a project to give advice and help out a little, but as the time needed to really make things work grew, they needed to have me fill out an application so I could receive a paycheck. My husband suggested adding in the “other areas I can work in” section that I could teach some of the online classes since I have experience with online courses already and with certain subject areas. After conversations with the director, I started teaching some of those online courses. While the pay is not a huge amount, it is something I can do from home that does not take an excessive amount of time each week, and I get a paycheck at the end of each semester that I can put directly towards an expense or into a savings account.

To be honest, it is nice to have extra income when you need it. It can help you stay on top of your budget and reach your financial goals. So, if you have questions about ways to earn extra, or if you have some ideas and ways you have earned extra income that you want to share with others, please leave a comment below.